Question first- Can/what advantage/disadvantage, a person reduce the thermal mass of their oven by using bricks cut in thirds.

I'm thinking about 32inch Pompeii style oven but like the idea of the quick heat up to cooking temp.

The reason for my question has been some of my initial work with my rocket stove fed flowerpot oven. My oven heats very quickly and retains heat relatively well but obviously not nearly as well as a large woodfired oven will. However if a person is doing mostly pizzas and wanting fast Heat up and doesn't necessarily need the long heat retention for baking bread or multiple days of baking, would the reduced thermal mass allow the oven to heat more quickly and be suitable for pizzas. My tiny oven was able to bake bread after I was done doing pizzas and stayed warm for a couple of hours after cooking and it's only thermal mass is a clay flowerpot between one half and 1 inch thick.
I also realize that one out of three bricks inside the oven would have an ugly cut face but I don't much care about that

Les

01-13-2013 01:26 PM

Re: Dome thickness question

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsychDoc
(Post 143988)

I also realize that one out of three bricks inside the oven would have an ugly cut face but I don't much care about that

Pretty much every brick on the inside of my oven has a cut face. In regard to using the thirds, should be no problem and it will heat up faster. David's(Dmun) oven used the sides of the brick so it is 2.5 inches thick.

david s

01-13-2013 02:37 PM

Re: Dome thickness question

Psychodoc,
You are correct about faster heat up and cooking time etc. The downside to making the walls really thin with brick is that there is not much holding them together. If you cover the bricks with a layer of mortar, even if it's only half an inch thick the strength will be improved. Anyway if it's a dome it can't collapse.

PsychDoc

01-13-2013 03:43 PM

Re: Dome thickness question

Les- good call, sometimes the simple solution eludes us. I shall re-review dmuns geo dome and see is he discusses his cooking success

David- a thin "shell" of mortar would be the plan, that will be hidden and would add slightly to the thermal mass